Calculated Plan By Politicians, RCB To Display Show of Strength: Bengaluru Stampede Victim's Uncle

Bengaluru: Harish Kumar Shetty, uncle of Chinmayi Shetty, the 19-year-old engineering student who lost her life in the Bengaluru stadium stampede incident on Wednesday, has alleged that the victory celebrations were a calculated plan by politicians and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to display their strength and market themselves.

“It was a calculated plan by politicians and RCB, as both wanted to showcase their strength and promote themselves. Congress aimed to market itself for the upcoming elections, while RCB sought publicity ahead of the next IPL season,” Shetty stated.

Speaking about the tragedy, Shetty described the loss as deeply sorrowful.

“The girl we lost was multi-talented, active in education and politics. Unfortunately, this has happened, and now the whole family is inconsolable, while no one is being held accountable,” he expressed.

Shetty questioned the necessity of such a grand celebration, asking, “What was the purpose of this event? Is RCB a national or state team? It is merely a club team, and yet there was so much hype, why?”

He further criticised the government’s show of strength, raising concerns over free passes being issued despite the stadium's capacity to host just 40,000 people.

“There was no fire emergency preparedness, no medical services, no security, nothing. The metro station gates were closed, with only two gates left open,” Shetty claimed.

Calling out mismanagement by the authorities, Shetty described the chaos saying, “Sports crazy people rushed toward the stadium, trying to enter. My poor niece, from what I have learned, dropped her bag. When she bent down to pick it up, she was caught in a human crush. Tragically, she couldn’t get up again."

Harish Kumar Shetty questions security lapses

Harish Kumar Shetty questioned why security failed, alleging that personnel were occupied attending to ministers and their families, players and their families, VIPs, bureaucrats and their families, instead of managing the crowd outside the stadium.

“Inside, they were celebrating. Our Deputy CM DK Shivakumar was kissing the trophy, while outside, bodies were being carried away. There were no people to help carry the deceased, and police were chasing down the crowd, this is what happened,” Shetty mentioned.
 

11 lives lost because of sheer negligence of government 

Criticising the government for its lack of planning for the RCB IPL victory celebration event, Harish Kumar Shetty said that the sheer negligence of the authorities led to the loss of 11 precious lives.

“I can give an example, when we won the T20 World Cup, Mumbai managed the crowd effectively. So why was the Karnataka government unable to handle a crowd of 50,000 or even 2 lakh people? There was no proper planning, no Plan A, Plan B, or Plan C, just zero planning,” Shetty remarked.

He further stated, “The event was purely about displaying a show of strength. First, they demonstrated their power at the steps of Vidhan Soudha, but what was the need for the procession? Why the roadshow? Was it an election gimmick or a rally? No one is being questioned, no one is being held accountable but someone should be.”

Congress first to make statement if an incident occurs anywhere, says Harish Kumar Shetty 

Lashing out at the Congress, Harish Kumar criticised the party stating that they are always first to comment when something happens elsewhere. 

“If something happens anywhere in the country, Congress is the first to say, ‘Do this, do that.’ But where are these so-called intellectuals (Bhuddhijivis)? Why are they not speaking up? Why are they not commenting? Where are the human rights?” he questioned.

Harish Kumar further condemned the incident and urged the central government to hand over the case to the CBI, asserting that only then will the real culprit will come out and justice be served to the victims.